I Will Cry No More
by gypsy-kat
Summary: Kagome sees InuYasha with Kikyo, and takes off into the forest.....only to find love and respect with one one demon she never expected
1. Prologue

How long she ran, she didn't know, how far, she wasn't sure. She had just returned from modern times and had gone to the Sacred Tree to meet InuYasha like she always did, only to stumble upon him holding Kikyo in his arms whispering his undying love and devotion to her. She knew InuYasha could hear her, so she whispered good-bye and took off running into the forest.

Her leg muscles were badly burning by the time she finally collapsed under a large tree. Kagome hugged her legs and rested her head on her knees. She let her hair shield as much of her exposed skin as possible seeing as she had stripped her clothes off as she ran in order to throw InuYasha off her trail, if only for a short time. Tears streamed down her face as she remembered all the times she and InuYasha had actually managed to get through a day without the "O" word being used, and how InuYasha had promised that he would never betray her.

'What's the point?' Kagome thought to herself, 'Her never loved me, he barely even acknowledges me half the time.'

Kagome wiped her face and got to her feet. Never again would she let a man (or demon) into the deepest regions of her heart.

"Never again, you hear me?" Kagome shouted at the sky, "I will never let anyone love me ever again!"

With that, Kagome got to her feet and walked into the forest, vowing to never again think about the one person who had hurt and betrayed her the most. She headed back to a small cave she had passed a few moments ago, so she could get some sleep.

"Tomorrow begins the first day of my life without him," Kagome whispered as she lay down on the cave floor, "Tomorrow I become a brand new person."


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

_(It has been almost two years since Kagome left Sango, Miroku, Kilala, Shippo, and InuYasha. We now find them walking back to Kaede's village.)_

"_Why do you think Kagome left us?" Shippo asked Miroku as he and the others walked through the forest._

_InuYasha came to a sudden stop and gave the young kitsune an evil glare. "I told you to never mention that wenches name!" he shouted, "She abandoned us, taking all the jewel shards with her."_

"_She left because she saw you with Kikyo in the forest." Sango said, turning to the hanyou, "You broke her heart InuYasha, so stop blaming other people and accept the fact that Kagome is gone and never coming back."_

"_It's not my fault she…." InuYasha began, but stopped when a small wooden boomerang hit him in the back of the head. He spun around to see who had thrown it, and was surprised to see Kagome standing in a tree, holding the weapon in question._

"_What the hell!" InuYasha shouted as he glared at Kagome._

"_How did you find me?" Kagome asked as she jumped out of the tree, "I know you've been searching."_

_Everyone stared at Kagome in disbelief. She wore a tunic made out of a demon's hide, although what kind it wasn't clear. She also wore several necklaces, bracelets, and anklets with the teeth and bones of many demons. Her hair now hung at her knees, although part of it was pulled up in a ponytail._

"_You took off with all my jewel shards, did you honestly think that we wouldn't come looking for you?" InuYasha shouted at her._

_Kagome shook her head and sighed. "Osuwari." she said, looking at him with utter contempt._

_InuYasha crashed face first into the ground, causing Miroku, Sango, and Shippo to smile at their companions embarrassing situation._

"_You still haven't changed half demon." Kagome said as she took a step back and turned away, "Don't follow me or next time I promise to do worse than use the spell of subjugation."_

_Kagome ran into the forest before anyone could stop her. She quickly disappeared into the trees, leaving her former friends utterly shocked at how cold and uncaring she had become. Kagome didn't mean to sound the way she did, but seeing InuYasha made her heart break all over again. She also knew that if she stayed, she would have started to fall in love with him all over again, and that was the last thing in the world she wanted. InuYasha had broken her heart on that day a couple of years ago and she had vowed never to love again, and Kagome was determined to remain true to her word. She came to a stop beside her favorite hot spring and sat down on a rock overlooking the water. Kagome had only been sitting there a short time when she heard a twig snap a short distance away. She looked across the water and saw SesshoMaru standing there. _

"_Still feeling sorry for yourself?" SesshoMaru asked in his usual icy tone._

_Kagome was surprised by SesshoMaru's sudden appearance, that she instinctively reached for her dagger._

_SesshoMaru held up his hand. "I have no intention of harming you." he said taking a step towards her. "I have come to you because I want your assistance."_

"_What for?" Kagome asked cautiously lowering her hand, but keeping her eyes on him._

"_You can sense the sacred jewel shards can you not?"_

_Kagome nodded._

"_The reason I ask this is because Rin disappeared three nights ago, same night she came into possession of a sacred jewel shard."_

"_Rin's missing? We've got to find her!" Kagome exclaimed, running up to SesshoMaru, "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her."_

_Before SesshoMaru could stop her, Kagome took off into the forest, calling Rin's name. SesshoMaru soon followed, but kept his distance._

'_She seems genuinely concerned that Rin is missing.' SesshoMaru thought as he watched Kagome run about, 'I never thought she would care about anything that had to so with me.'_

_SesshoMaru came to a stop and stared at Kagome. She was standing on a branch of a tree with her eyes closed and both hands covering the sacred jewel that hung around her neck, a soft breeze blowing her hair all around her. He continued to watch her for some time, a subtle smile on his face._

"_I sense the sacred jewel shard on the other side of the forest!" Kagome shouted suddenly, shaking SesshoMaru from his thoughts. "Quick, we must hurry."_

_SesshoMaru watched with surprise as Kagome quickly began jumping from tree to tree. "No ordinary human can move the way she does," he said to himself as he began running after her, "I must find out how she is able to do that."_

_Kagome and SesshoMaru ran through the forest for the rest of the afternoon and well into the night, and it wasn't until the moon rose into the sky that they decided to take a short rest._

"_How much further?" SesshoMaru asked as Kagome leaned against a tree to catch her breath._

"_It's not too far," Kagome replied, "We should be able to reach the other side within the next couple of hours." _

"_Then may I suggest we keep moving, because I fear Rin may not have much time."_

"_Why do you say that?" Kagome asked, giving SesshoMaru a strange look._

"_Fear." SesshoMaru replied, "I can smell it."_

"_How can you smell fear?"_

_SesshoMaru looked at Kagome for a moment, then up at the moon, which was nearing the full. "Rin usually smells like fresh cherry blossoms, especially when she is happy, but now she smells like a dying cherry blossom tree."_

_Kagome studied the Demon Lord for a moment. She had never seen him like this before. She had always believed SesshoMaru to be a cold and uncaring demon, but seeing him now was like seeing a father looking for his missing child. She studied his face a few moments longer and that is when she noticed the sad look in his eyes. Kagome walked up to SesshoMaru and put her hand on his shoulder. She was about to speak, when all of a sudden her hand and his shoulder began to glow a soft blue. SesshoMaru looked at Kagome, then at his shoulder where her hand rested. _

"_Did you see that?" Kagome asked in surprise, "That's never happened before, except when I pulled out the arrow that bound InuYasha to the Sacred Tree."_

_SesshoMaru gave her a look and was about to tell her to remove her hand from his shoulder when all of a sudden he felt a sharp twinge in what remained of his left arm. Kagome tried to take her hand away, but found that she couldn't. Both Kagome and SesshoMaru watched in amazement as SesshoMaru's left arm began to grow back. Within a matter of moments, the remnants of his arm had become what it once was before InuYasha had cut it off._

_Finally, Kagome was able take her hand away. She staggered back a few steps, trying to catch her breath. After a few minutes, she worked up the nerve to look at SesshoMaru, only to find him watching her, his expression, unreadable. He only stared at her with his normal expression. "Are you alright SesshoMaru?" Kagome asked, finally taking a step forward. "I didn't hurt you did I?"_

"_No, miko, you did not hurt me." SesshoMaru replied, looking at his hand, "But I would like to know how you were able to grow my arm back."_

"_I'm not sure," Kagome replied "I would like to know the same thing. According to Kaede, a miko isn't able to do such things, but then again, she did tell me that I had spiritual powers beyond that of a normal priestess. Maybe that is what allowed me to grow your arm back."_

"_Whatever the reason, I thank you." SesshoMaru replied as he turned away. "Now let us be on our way, Rin's scent is very close."_

_Kagome nodded, and took to the trees again heading in the direction she sensed the jewel shard. She glanced back, only to she SesshoMaru staring at her. 'I wonder what he's thinking?' Kagome thought. 'Only time will tell I guess.'_

_SesshoMaru watched the young miko jump from tree to tree for a few moments before following. The only thing he expected from the young miko was her help in locating Rin, not once did he ever consider that she would be able to give him his left arm back. "She is definitely not an ordinary priestess." SesshoMaru said to himself as he followed her, "I must find out more about these powers of hers."_

_About an hour or so later, Kagome and SesshoMaru reached a small clearing, near the forests edge. There, seated in the middle was a large bear demon, holding Rin in its claws. "I knew you would come," the demon growled at SesshoMaru, "The little one said her lord would come to save her."_

_SesshoMaru's eyes began to turn red, but Kagome stopped him. "Wait," she said, "The demon has three jewel shards, one in his forehead and the other two in each of its claws. If we move too quickly, the demon will kill Rin, which is something we don't want to happen."_

"_What do you suggest we do?" SesshoMaru replied, the red slowly receding from his eyes, "Rin must be saved, and you need to collect the jewel shards from the demon."_

_Kagome thought for a moment, then took a small step forward. "What is it that you want in exchange for the girl?" she asked the demon, looking into its eyes._

"_I thought you would know that already," the demon growled, "I want the rest of your jewel shards."_

_Kagome nodded and gave a small shake of her head. "I figured it would come to this," she said, covering the jewel around her neck with both hands. "You will not kill that little girl, nor will you get your disgusting hands on my jewel shards!"_

_The bear demon growled, but before it could even make a move to kill either Kagome or Rin, Kagome's body began glowing a bright blue, and she shot the energy towards the demon's paw that held Rin, causing it to howl in pain and drop the little girl. SesshoMaru ran forward with all of his demonic speed, and caught Rin before she hit the ground. He set her down, and ran back to where the bear demon lay dying on the ground. SesshoMaru looked on as Kagome took one of her sacred arrows, and proceeded to stab the demon in the forehead, where on of his jewel shards was located. A bright light flashed for a moment, then the jewel flew from the demon's corpse and landed on the ground beside her. Kagome picked up the shard, and then went to collect the two remaining shards from its paws. Once she was done, she walked over to where Rin was standing, and knelt down in front of her._

"_Are you alright Rin?" Kagome asked as she looked the girl over for injuries._

"_I'm ok," Rin replied, "Thank you for saving me."_

"_You're welcome dear." Kagome smiled, "I'm just glad you're alright. Listen Rin, Lord SesshoMaru tells me that you came into possession of a sacred jewel shard shortly before being kidnapped, is that right?"_

"_Yes, I did. I found it among some old priestesses robes I found on the side of the road. I had just picked it up and was about to return to Lord SesshoMaru when that bear demon grabbed me." Rin said as she looked at the bear demon's corpse, "I screamed for help, but the demon told me that if I screamed again, he would kill me, so I kept my mouth shut, until you and Lord SesshoMaru came to save me."_

"_That was a wise course of action Rin." SesshoMaru said as he stood next to Kagome. "Do you still have the shard?"_

_Rin lifted her left hand and showed it to Kagome and SesshoMaru. "I put it in my hand." she said, "It was the only thing I could think of to keep it out of the demon's reach. I told him that by sacred law he wasn't allowed to take it from me by force or kill me for it, and that only the priestess protecting the jewel would be able to remove it."_

"_You know that isn't true, what you told the demon right?" Kagome said, taking Rin's hand in her own._

_Rin nodded. "You have to take the shard now don't you?" she asked Kagome._

_Kagome nodded and proceeded to take a small knife and gently cut the shard out of Rin's hand. She put in her pocket, and then a strip of cloth from her waistband, infused it with sacred energies, and tied it around Rin's hand. "Keep that on your hand overnight," Kagome said getting to her feet, "It'll be completely healed in the morning."_

"_Thank you priestess." SesshoMaru said, turning away "Rin, it's time to go."_

_Rin gave Kagome a sad look, then proceeded to follow Lord SesshoMaru out of the clearing. Kagome watched them leave, a sad look on her face. In the few short hours she had spent with SesshoMaru, she had grown very attached to him. 'It's a good thing they left I suppose.' Kagome thought as she began to skin the bear demon's hide, 'If he had stayed, I would have gone back on the promise I made to myself.'_

_Kagome finished skinning the corpse, and folded it up and placed it next to her. She was about to get to her feet, when all of a sudden she burst into tears, the feelings she held inside herself for so long, finally bursting out._

_--With SesshoMaru --_

"_Lord SesshoMaru, why are we leaving Priestess Kagome? She did save my life."_

_Rin said as she walked next to her Lord. _

"_That may be Rin," SesshoMaru replied, not looking at his young charge, "She served her purpose, therefore no reason to stay was present."_

_Rin stopped in her tracks. She had been traveling with Lord SesshoMaru for five years now, and in all that time, she hand never heard him speak so coldly about anyone, except his half brother InuYasha. She looked at the bandage wrapped around her hand, then up at SesshoMaru. She then walked up to him and put her hand on his. She was about to speak when all of a sudden, she heard her Lord's voice in her head._

'_Kagome is very beautiful and I did not want to leave her, but she is a human and I am a demon, there is no way we could ever be together.'_

_Rin looked into SesshoMaru's eyes and took her hand away. "I am going to go back to Priestess Kagome," Rin said, taking a couple steps back, "I owe her so much for saving my life, as do you my Lord."_

_With that said, Rin spun around, and ran back to the clearing where she last saw Kagome._

_--With Kagome--_

_Kagome wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and was about to get to her feet when she saw Rin running towards her. Kagome gave the young girl a look of surprise as Rin threw herself into her arms._

"_Rin, are you alright?" Kagome asked, letting go of the young girl, and looking into her eyes, "You seem worried."_

_Rin smiled at the young priestess and held her bandaged hand out to her. "I heard Lord SesshoMaru's thoughts." she said, turning her hand over._

"_What do you mean you heard SesshoMaru's thoughts?" Kagome asked, giving Rin a strange look._

"_We were walking through the forest, and I stopped to ask him why we were leaving, but before he could answer, I took his hand and I was able to hear his thoughts." Rin replied, taking a seat next to Kagome._

"_What did you hear?"_

"_I heard him say 'Kagome is very beautiful and I did not want to leave her, but she is human and I am a demon, there is no way we could ever be together.' He had a strange look on his face when he said it."_

_Kagome sat back and put her face in her hands. Never in a million years would she have thought that SesshoMaru, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, and InuYasha's half brother, would think about her at all, let alone think she was beautiful, but he did have a good point. She was human, and he is a demon, there was no way that they could be together. After this thought, she began to cry all over again. Rin stood up and put her arms around the young miko and held her as she cried. As she held Kagome, she heard her thoughts about how she cared for Lord SesshoMaru and that she desperately wanted to be with him. _

"_It's ok Kagome." Rin said softly, as she held thy crying girl._

"_You don't understand Rin." Kagome said as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "InuYasha hurt and betrayed me very badly and I'm scared that if I open my heart, it's going to get broken again, and I couldn't bare for that to happen."_

_Rin let go of Kagome and picked up the bear demon's hide. "Let's go." she said smiling softly, "Maybe after a good night's sleep you can figure everything out."_

"_Hope you're right." Kagome replied as she got to her feet and took Rin's hand, "But what about Lord SesshoMaru?"_

"_It's ok, he's been standing at the edge of the clearing since I got here." Rin said taking Kagome's hand. "He knows that I'm with you."_

_Kagome nodded. "There's a hot spring nearby," said, walking in the opposite direction of SesshoMaru's place, "Let's go take a nice long bath, that might help."_

_Kagome and Rin walked a short distance from the clearing and arrived at the hot spring. Rin put the demon's hide on a rock, and took off her outer kimono. She then ran and jumped in the hot spring. Kagome smiled and sat down on a rock. She watched the young girl play in the hot spring, and as she watched Rin, Kagome began to think. 'Rin is such a sweet child, it's such pity that she won't stay with me. It would be nice to have some company again.'_

_As Kagome sat by the hot spring, SesshoMaru stood in a tree watching her. The longer her watched her, his feelings for her became more real. As she looked on at Rin, he knew how she would be with children of her own. SesshoMaru put his earlier thoughts of her aside, and was about to jump out of the tree to go and talk to the beautiful priestess, when all of a sudden a sacred arrow came flying at him. He caught it in his hand and looked at the hot spring where Kagome stood. There she was holding a bow in her hands, a dead expression on her face. It was as if her very soul had died, and her body was nothing but an empty shell. SesshoMaru jumped out of the tree and walked up to Kagome. "I believe this belongs to you priestess." he said, holding the arrow out to her._

_Kagome took the arrow from SesshoMaru's hand, and set it on the ground next to the bow she had dropped. "I'm sorry about that," she said, "your aura caught me by surprise. I was just trying to protect Rin."_

"_it is alright. I understand." SesshoMaru replied, "I would act the same way."_

_Kagome gave a slight nod, and went to sit down on the rock again, when SesshoMaru grabbed her arm. "SesshoMaru? Is there something wrong?" she asked._

_What happened next came as a complete surprise to both Kagome. SesshoMaru spun her around and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry Kagome." he whispered.___

_Kagome pulled back slightly and looked up at him. Love, devotion, and honor were very dominant in his eyes. She thought back to a discussion with Koga she had before his death. She remembered him telling her about youkai mating laws, that when a female youkai was in love with a male youkai, she would smile and pull her hair off her left shoulder and tilt her head to the side. Kagome looked into his eyes again, and smiled as she pulled her hair off her left shoulder. She took a couple of steps back and tilted her head to the side. _

_SesshoMaru seemed a little surprised by her actions. According to youkai mating laws, if a female bared the left side of her neck to a male, it meant that she was in love with him and that she wanted to be his mate. Usually this only happened among youkai, but he wasn't sure what it meant if a human female bared her neck to a youkai male._

"_Kagome, what….what are you doing?" SesshoMaru asked, giving her a strange look._

"_I know the youkai mating laws as well," she whispered looking into his eyes. "But I still offer myself to you."_

_SesshoMaru put his hands on her shoulders, searching for any sign of fear or uncertainty, but found none. He then pulled her into a slight hug, and put his mouth to her neck slowly biting into her skin. Once he was sure it would leave a mark, he let go and licked the mark clean._

_Kagome gave her new mate a soft kiss on the cheek, and pulled him into her arms. "I'm not sure if you know this," she whispered in his ear, "But that lowly hanyou InuYasha is sitting in a tree not too far from here."_

"_How long has he been here?" SesshoMaru asked softly, holding Kagome in his arms. _

"_A few minutes now, he's been there since I showed you my neck."_

"_What shall we do?"_

"_Just watch and see."_

_Kagome pulled out of SesshoMaru's arms and walked over to the rock she was sitting on a few minutes ago, and picked up the bow and arrow she had left lying next to it, all the while, keeping the tree in her sight. Kagome held the bow and arrow in one hand, and looked up at the branch she knew InuYasha was sitting on and shouted "Osuwari!"_

_InuYasha crashed face-first into the ground with a bone-breaking crunch. He lay there paralyzed by the force of the spell and before he knew it, Kagome was standing over him muttering a spell. He soon found himself almost three feet off the ground, with his back to a tree. InuYasha watched in horror as Kagome readied her arrow and aimed it at his heart. She had the same emotionless look in her eyes as she did when she was under Menomaru's spell almost seven years ago. He remembered that she was dressed in a miko outfit similar to Kaede's and Kikyo's, but now, she was wearing a demon's hide tunic, had knee-length hair, and a fresh bite mark on her neck._

"_Kagome, please don't……" InuYasha pleaded, knowing that she would shoot._

_Kagome looked into his eyes. "Don't worry half-demon," she said "I'm not going to kill you. Death is too good for you. I'm going to make you suffer the way you made me suffer. You will be plagued with horrible nightmares that will eventually drive you insane."_

_SesshoMaru watched in mild shock as Kagome aimed her arrow at his brother and fired. InuYasha screamed as the arrow pierced his heart. He looked on as his mate approached InuYasha and whispered in his ear., then return to his side._

"_What did you tell him?" SesshoMaru asked as they walked to the hot spring and collected Rin who had fallen asleep on the shore._

"_I told him that I killed his precious clay priestess and that there are only four more shards to collect."_

"_Which ones would they be?"_

"_The two from Koga's grave, and the two from my own legs."_

"_The wolf demon is dead?" SesshoMaru asked, shocked as this piece of news._

_Kagome nodded. "Yes, Koga died in the battle with Naraku. He protected me from Naraku's attack, and he ended up taking the fatal blow."_

"_Where is he buried?"_

"_Near the Bone-Eaters Well. He told me that he wanted to be buried as close to my home as he could, and since I travel through the well from this time to the future, it seemed the most logical place to bury him."_

_Kagome and SesshoMaru returned to the clearing and laid Rin down under a tree. "Then let us go and collect the shards from Koga, and then the jewel will finally be complete." SesshoMaru said, taking Kagome's hand, "But first, you should try and get some sleep."_

_Kagome nodded, and took her place next to Rin under the tree. SesshoMaru watched her for a few minutes and when he was sure she was asleep, he returned to the tree where InuYasha was pinned. He looked at his brother and noticed that InuYasha was staring at him with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. If the Tetsuiaga wasn't at his waist, he would have transformed into a full demon. _

"_SesshoMaru you bastard!" InuYasha screamed, "You took Kagome from me!"_

"_Correction little brother," SesshoMaru replied as he walked up "Kagome left you after you betrayed her with that dead priestess Kikyo."_

"_I didn't betray her! Kikyo came to me looking for help!"_

"_I do not believe you, and I'm pretty sure that my mate does not believe you either."_

_InuYasha's eyes pulsed red for a moment, but all of a sudden, a sharp pain coursed through his body causing him to scream and close his eyes. He opened them a few minutes later only to find SesshoMaru gone._

"_I'll get you for this SesshoMaru," InuYasha whispered, "I'll get you even if it's the last thing I do."_


End file.
